8 Simple Food Swaps To Improve Your Health This Year

With the holiday season wrapping up, and a new year offering the chance to make a fresh start, many of us are looking for ways to improve our health. Often the instinct is to start big—with grand resolutions, dramatic changes, and extreme overhauls to habits and routines. But grand scale shifts are hard to follow through on, and more often than not, those big plans are abandoned within a few weeks. “When it comes to creating healthier habits, smaller, more achievable steps are often the most powerful,” Alexa Marks, RD, tells SheKnows.

That’s especially true when it comes to changing our diet to improve our health. Not only are eating habits and food choices ingrained—and thus hard patterns to break—but even when you’re committed to breaking habits, it can be hard to know what’s healthy, what’s unhealthy, and what’s just trendy on social media.

In an effort to cut through the noise, we spoke to the experts to determine the eight simple food swaps we should make to improve our health in the new year.

Swap Juice For Water

One of the easiest food swaps to make doesn’t belong to something you put on your plate, but in your cup. According to our experts, drinking water instead of juice is a simple swap that adds up to a big change.

“Juice adds concentrated sugar without the fiber of whole fruit, which the American Heart Association notes can spike blood sugar and increase risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome,” notesRachel Hammack, RDN, Health and Well-Being Coach at ComPsych.

Flavored water, sparkling water, or water with a lemon slice are easy swaps to give you the feel of juice without the added sugar.

Swap Refined Grains for Whole Grains

Another easy switch is to choose whole grains, like brown rice or quinoa, over refined products. “A shift from refined bread, rice, or pasta to brown rice, quinoa, and brown bread increases fiber levels and aids in digestion, blood sugar regulation and even weight management,” Maude Bélanger, RD, from TeamNutrition tells SheKnows.

Choosing whole grains over refined grains is a simple swap that doesn’t require extra effort or a dramatic change to what’s on your plate.

Swap Yogurt For Greek Yogurt

Swapping out flavored yogurts for unsweetened Greek yogurt is a small change that packs a big punch. Not only are flavored yogurts high in sugar, but they don’t have the same benefits as their high-in-protein counterpart.

According to Kayla Farrell, Registered Dietitian and Account Executive at FRESH Communications, Inc., “Greek yogurt [is] a smart choice that helps keep the gut microbiome balanced [and] can improve digestion and promote the immune system. Greek yogurt is also a source of protein, a key nutrient that helps preserve muscle mass and strength in aging populations.”

Swap Milk Chocolate For Dark Chocolate

Improving health in the new year doesn’t mean abstaining from your favorite desserts—like chocolate. However, not all chocolate is created equal and the kind of chocolate you choose can make a difference.

Our experts recommend reaching for dark chocolate over milk or white chocolate. “Dark chocolate is higher in fiber, minerals, and antioxidants,” Avery Zenker, RD, tells SheKnows.

Swap Chips For Popcorn

Likewise, not all crunchy, salty snacks are created equal and reaching for popcorn rather than chips is a small health swap with a big impact.

“While both are crunchy snacks, popcorn [especially one made of simple ingredients or that can be popped from the kernels] offers more fiber and other nutrients with less fat and calories,” says Zenker, who notes that “[f]iber plays a number of important roles in the body, and regular bowel movements is just one of them. Fiber helps slow digestion and promotes satiety, helping you feel full for longer and reduce cravings and overeating later. Fiber also helps slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, helping control blood sugar levels.”

Not only is popcorn a low calorie, higher fiber option, but, according to Zenker, popcorn “also contains antioxidants like polyphenols, which help reduce inflammation and damage from oxidative stress.”

Swap Rice Cakes for Whole Wheat Bread or Toast

Another simple swap that may not be obvious is swapping rice cakes for whole wheat bread or toast, says Zenker. “Rice cakes are often perceived as a ‘light’ option, but they’re made from puffed white rice, resulting in a low fiber, low protein snack that’s high on the glycemic index, meaning they can spike blood sugar and leave you hungry soon after.” Whole wheat bread or toast, on the other hand, is higher in protein, micronutrients, and fiber, which helps support blood sugar and steady energy.

Swap Red Meat For Salmon

A simple swap at dinner could also lead to big improvements in health according to our experts, who suggest swapping out processed or red meats for lean or meat alternatives.

According to Bélanger, “[r]eplacing the processed/fatty meats with lean/meat alternatives such as fish, chicken, eggs, beans, lentils, and tofu may help with heart, muscle, and nutrient functioning.”

Swapping red meat for salmon is a particularly powerful swap. “[Salmon] is a nutritious source of complete, high-quality protein that provides between 22-25 g protein per 3.5 oz serving,” notes Farrell, who also highlights that salmon is “one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which support healthy lifestyles by reducing inflammation, lowering heart disease risk, and boosting brain and skin health. Salmon also has vitamin D and B12, which are hard to find nutrients.”

Swap Butter and Margarine for Olive Oil

No conversation about improving health via simple food swaps would be complete without highlighting the benefits of swapping butter or margarine for olive oil.

“Extra virgin olive oil is a heart-healthy fat that’s high in monounsaturated fats and polyphenols that are compounds known to have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects,” notes Farrell, highlighting how “[r]egularly eating olive oil can help reduce blood pressure, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and improve overall cardiovascular health.”

Farrell suggests swapping olive oil in place of other oils for sauteing, low heat cooking, drizzling over roasted vegetables, whisking into dressings, or as a side paired with whole grain bread to improve health without drastically changing what’s on your plate.

Other heart healthy fats to consider include avocados and hummus, says Zenker. “Avocados and hummus are sources of healthy fats and also provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.”

Ultimately, the experts agree that it’s not about what you subtract from your plate, or how you can deprive yourself to get healthier, but what you can add to make your overall diet work better for your health.

“Eat regularly,” says Hammack, who encourages eating a variety of whole, minimally processed foods. “Aim for a variety of foods – from leafy greens to legumes, berries, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and tofu. A colorful plate of food is an easy way to know you’re getting the variety you need. By diversifying the foods you eat, you ensure you’re getting a broad range of nutrients, helping your body meet all of its needs.”

Farrell likewise encourages balanced meals, along with focusing on mindful movement—” [p]hysical activity is a great way to boost mood, digestion, and energy levels after a hectic season”—and taking steps to destress and rest, especially after the holidays.

Taken together, all of these changes might look too small to truly impact health, but their power is in their small size. “The beauty of these small changes is that they’re achievable,” says Marks. “Over time, they can lead to real progress, whether your goal is improved energy, better blood sugar control, or just feeling healthier overall.”